hostile expedition
- noun
- /ˈhɑːstaɪl ˌɛkspɪˈdɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
expedición hostil
- The general led his troops on a hostile expedition across the border, aiming to secure new territory.
Examples
-
The army launched a hostile expedition into enemy territory.
-
The government sent a hostile expedition to quell the uprising in the distant region.
-
Historical records describe a hostile expedition launched against the neighboring kingdom.
-
Many historians study the effects of a hostile expedition on local populations.
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Historical records describe a hostile expedition launched against the neighboring kingdom.
-
The general led his troops on a hostile expedition across the border, aiming to secure new territory.
-
The government sent a hostile expedition to quell the uprising in the distant region.
Synonyms
476
4.3
An attack in which an army enters another country to take control
56
3.7
A planned action by armed forces to achieve a goal
22
8.2
A sudden short attack into enemy land
12
5.3
A military action with fighting to capture or defend a place
1
6.3
A trip by soldiers to fight and take control of a place in another country
Antonyms
6
4.2
A military mission to stop fighting and make an area calm between groups or countries
How Aggressive
476
4.3
- Specialized
373
4.9
253
3.2
- Specialized
5
6.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'hostile' (from an enemy or characterized by aggression) with 'expedition' (a journey or organized operation). The adjective+noun composition clearly signals an adversarial or military operation (as opposed to a scientific expedition), a pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Hostile expedition comes from old military language: an expedition was a planned journey or mission and hostile meant 'enemy'. So the phrase gave a clear image of a mission sent to fight, which is why it now means a military action sent into another country to reach a goal.